Wednesday, 23 December 2009

I use mine every day. It's one of the best electronics investments I've made in years.

It's an iPod, so I get to store and listen to music and other audio anywhere.

The iPod touch has built in calculator and calendar. The clock/timer means I can set an alarm and not exceed time on the parking meter.

The note taking function means all kinds of short notes taken during lectures, at the archives, reading books and watching TV are always with me.

I get email, browse the web, view YouTube videos, download podcasts including those from TNA, and do so anywhere there's an accessible wifi connection. With my wifi at home I can access these anywhere in the house. An increasing number of public institutions like LAC, TNA, airports, and libraries also provide free wifi connections.

I've discovered applications that allow it to act as a reader, with ebooks I can borrow free from the local library which also offers free audiobooks.

Other applications downloaded give me a dictionary, shopping list, Air Canada link for my flights, newspaper access, and much more.

It slips into my shirt pocket and I forget it's there until I need it. It has helped lower my blood pressure and frustration. I turn time waiting for medical appointments and at the airport into useful time listening to or reading useful background.

Yes, I lust for an iPhone It has a camera and GPS and you maintain internet contact anywhere the telcos offer wireless service, but not for me at the prices they charge in Canada.

If you're looking for a last minute gift for a genealogist, or anyone not technology adverse, an iPod touch would be right at the top of my suggestion list.

4 comments:

Last year I discovered a cellphone that goes one better than an IPod Touch, I think.

It has Mobile Office on it and that includes cut down versions of Word and Excel. I use it to transcribe censuses at our local FHC. It is really great not to have to copy out a transcription from paper to computer once you get home.

John - I use Shrubs on my Ipod touch to keep a copy of my genealogy files rather than lugging a lot of paper around. It is not perfect and there is more information on my Tribalpages site but I don't need Internet acess to get at the Shrubs file. There are other Ipod genealogy applications.